LAKELAND, FL – Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris conducted his annual news conference at the beginning of spring training on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with reporters in the right-field corner at Joker Marchant Stadium at the TigerTown complex.
He shared his evaluation of the Tigers entering the 2026 season.
“I would reject the notion that we are just pushing chips in,” Harris said, referencing the marquee free-agent signings of left-hander Framber Valdez, right-hander Justin Verlander, right-handed reliever Kenley Jansen and right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan. “We’re trying to win. We try to win every year. I think what these moves say is that this organization is on a great trajectory. This is the best roster we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Here are five takeaways:
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How did Justin Verlander signing happen?
What Harris said: “I had a few FaceTimes with JV. I had never met him before, but I know what he means to this city and this organization. When we had an opportunity for him, we just wanted to engage him and help him understand what we’re trying to achieve here. We know how he fits in the city and organization, but we wanted him to know how he fits on this team and how he can help us win. That’s where we really hit it off. He’s all about winning. He wants to win here. He has some unfinished business in Detroit. We want to win, too. We feel like we have a really good roster, and it’s better with JV.”
Did Christopher Ilitch factor into Framber Valdez signing?
Harris: “In my interview, it was very clear that when I bring compelling opportunities to Chris Ilitch, he’s going to be ready and willing to invest in this organization. I think a lot of people don’t really understand how competitive Chris is. Let this be an example of it. Not only did we sign Framber Valdez to a $115 million deal, we did it against the backdrop of payroll uncertainty in arbitration. We didn’t know what the result of arbitration was going to be, but I brought the opportunity to Chris, and he said, ‘Let’s do it.’ He wants to win as badly as anyone in this organization. From an investment standpoint, it shows that this organization is invested in winning.”
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Why didn’t Tigers chase Alex Bregman again in free agency?
Harris: “I’m not going to talk about other teams’ players. It’s a huge vote of confidence in the players that we have, both the players that were in the big leagues and helped us achieve those things that I talked about offensively, but also the players that are coming. There are some players that have done some special things in the minor leagues. It’s not a guarantee that it’s going to translate immediately to the big leagues. There are going to be some bumps in the road. But the confidence that we’ve had in the players currently in that clubhouse also applies to the players that we’ve drafted and developed and traded for over the last few years.”
Is Kevin McGonigle in competition for Opening Day roster?
Harris: “We’re not going to make any decisions with any of those guys until the end. You guys know me. I’m going to wait until the last possible second to make decisions. When it comes to what we’re looking for when we make promotion decisions is we look at two things. Do they make this team better and – it’s not an ‘or’ but an ‘and’ – are they ready to make the developmental leap? The second box is really important because it’s a big leap from the minor leagues to the big leagues. We want to make sure that, developmentally, they’re ready for the challenge and can endure the struggles that are on the horizon. The reason why we look at both is because there are some players in the minor leagues that can make us a better team, just purely defensively right now. With their glove, they can make us a better team. However, if we promote them right now, we’re going to stunt their offensive growth. So while they do check the first box, they don’t necessarily check the second box. And then the opposite is true. There are some players in the minor leagues who can make us better offensively right now, but they’re not ready to be the two-way players, not the well-rounded players that can help us on both sides of the ball. We’re trying to build an offense and a defense that can consistently produce and help us win games. We got to make sure the young players are ready to help on both sides of the ball.”
What is relationship with Tarik Skubal after arbitration hearing?
What Harris said: “We love Tarik. The relationship is great. I’m not a big fan of arbitration, generally. We’ve settled with every single player since I’ve been here and avoided a hearing room – except for Tarik. That’s how this process goes. I’m just glad it’s over. I’m glad we can focus on baseball. I’m glad we can focus on all this roster can achieve this year. I think that’s the general sentiment on all this stuff. A lot of the business stuff is done at this point. Let’s just focus on getting better over the next seven weeks. That’s where we’re at.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What Scott Harris said about Detroit Tigers as spring training begins
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
